New blood test can detect heart attacks

A recent study has proven a way to detect whether a person is having a heart attack when they go to the emergency room with chest pains and other symptoms. This is a very useful medical tool, as so many people either suffer heart attacks or symptoms of them.

A sensitive blood test combined with the usual electrocardiogram of heartbeats can prove whether a patient needs to be submitted to the hospital or released. According to The Almagest, Dr. Nadia Bandstein from the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, said, “We believe that with this strategy, 20 to 25 percent of admissions to hospitals for chest pain may be avoided.”

According to the Liberty Voice the study took place in Sweden and examined about 15,000 individuals who went to the hospital with chest pain. It was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The blood test given to them looks for troponin which shows up as a result to damage of the heart. Tests for troponin have been used in the past but were not as efficient as the new ultra-sensitive test.